A stalled animal cruelty trial involving the owner of a southwest suburban animal rescue facility was delayed again Wednesday when a Cook County judge recused himself, sending the case back into pretrial status.

Judge Christopher J. Donnelly last month granted a mistrial for Dawn Hamill, 42, owner of Dazzle's Painted Pastures Animal Rescue and Sanctuary, near Tinley Park, after learning that the lead investigator and state witness had been arrested on a federal extortion charge in an unrelated matter.

At the same April 9 hearing, Donnelly read aloud to the court an anonymous letter he received asking him not to dismiss the case in light of the investigator's arrest. The letter also suggested that a surprise inspection be made of Hamill's facility, which is still licensed and operating.

At the time, Donnelly called the letter "ridiculous" and said he read it to notify all parties of its existence and to tell the letter's writer to stop such inappropriate communications. As Hamill's new trial was set to begin at the Markham Courthouse on Wednesday, Donnelly said that after additional consideration, he felt the letter should be handled in a more serious manner.

"I thought it was most appropriate for me to recuse myself," he said.

Hamill's attorney, Purav Bhatt, said Donnelly had notified him of his intent to remove himself from the bench trial proceedings because of the letter. "He's supposed to make his decisions based on the evidence that he hears and not any outside influence," Bhatt said.

The case was reassigned to Judge Anna Helen Demacopoulos, who set a pretrial motion hearing for May 29.

Less than a week after testifying March 7 about the conditions he found at Hamill's facility, Cook County sheriff's Officer Lawrence A. "Larry" Draus was arrested as part of a two-year federal undercover investigation that also involved his son, Lawrence E. "Eric" Draus.

It's still unclear whether information about Draus' arrest will be allowed in Hamill's new trial.

"That is going to be up to the judge to decide," Bhatt said. "I'm certainly going to try."

Hamill is charged with misdemeanor neglect of owner's duties and cruel treatment resulting from the February 2011 raid of her facility. During the raid, the sheriff's office and animal control removed more than 100 animals from the property because of poor living conditions, officials said. They also found a dead miniature horse and dead Himalayan cat.